Mechanisms for mounting and aligning optical units, such as mirrors or filters are essential in many optical systems, including those employing laser beams. Typically, in order to properly align the optical element with respect to the optical axis of the system, the mechanisms must be capable of precise adjustment around axes in two orthogonal directions.
While a wide variety of mounting arrangements have been developed, many are too temperature sensitive for use in optical systems employing high intensity laser beams. Temperature differentials arising, for example, from absorption of laser radiation within the optical element, can produce differential thermal expansion within the mounting apparatus and destroy precise alignment.
Some optical systems, such as those used for laser enrichment of uranium, not only utilize high intensity laser beams but also require a high density of optical components. Such systems typically need extremely long folded paths of high intensity laser beams and a multiplicity of compact, temperature insensitive mirror mounts for precisely directing the beams back and forth through an enrichment chamber. The mounts must be individually removable and sufficiently compact that many mirrors can be mounted adjacent one another in a small area.